Day 1 of the 3rd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 1: Columbus Brewing Company Citra Noel
Our first beer this season is a new classic, Citra Noel. It’s not your typical spice Holiday ale as it’s marketed as a hop full beer. According to Columbus Brewing, “our mahogany colored ale features tropical fruit notes from Citra hops and has a deep rich malt character.” Maybe it will be hoppy with a little Christmas spice at the same time.
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: Yay Christmas! And Christmas beers! And beers that aren’t all just super spiced but still delicious! Columbus Brewing Company is one of my favorite breweries. I’ve never really had a subpar beer from them, especially if it’s hoppy. Their beers are all pretty straightforward, nothing gimmicky, and this is no exception. It’s just a great hoppy beer with just enough biscuity sweetness to balance everything out. It’s one of my favorite beers of the season and I’m glad we’re starting off strong.
Broad: Very excited to kick off this event with a favorite Ohio brewery! I very much enjoy this beer. I’m normally not the biggest fan of hoppy Christmas ales but this one is just so delicious. It’s citrusy, hoppy and still has a rich malty taste.
Adam & Alex
Adam: What a way to kick off the beer adventure. Citra Noel isn’t a traditional Christmas beer but it’s so good. It smells like a tropical vacation and tastes like a combination of grapefruit and pine. I could drink these all season
Alex: Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That’s the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway…
This beer would be what I would drink on a Hawaiian Christmas Vacation. It’s delicious and citrusy like it’s namesake, and the hops remind me of what I imagine Christmas trees taste like! Great first beer!
Scott & Christa
Scott: Happy 1st beer of the month! I really love this beer. A lot. I don’t get the notes of citrus or holiday spices, but the malty taste makes for an easy to drink brew that I’m happy to drink all winter long. Side note: I really like that the “C” logo on the bottle, kinda resembles the Tribe “C”.
Christa: In the year since I’ve tried this beer, I’ve learned some things. This beer is good, it was even better last year when I had it in Florida because of its delicious citrusy flavor and I enjoyed it on the beach. This beer would pair well with so many things: BBQs and sand volleyball, sunshine and hot dogs. It’s not a holiday beer to me. It’s hoppy and smooth and smells delightful but I would wonder what it’s doing in my stocking.
Tony & Megan
Tony: Jumping right in, or should I say “hopping” right in (…..ok ya that was bad 😒😄), but the Citra Noel is an interesting blend of hoppines, those holiday spices we’re all accustomed to, and a hint of citrus. For those that like IPAs this is a nice blend. Pretty smooth with a light amber color. Overall its good, but to me it tastes mostly like a typical IPA rather than a holiday beer. The holiday flavors are there, but not nearly as prominent as other Christmas or holiday brews.
Megan: I was not a fan of the smell because I don’t like hoppy beers but was surprised to see that I didn’t hate the taste. It’s crisp with just enough hops. I like the citrus element that came through. It’s a fun twist on the typical holiday flavors you see this time of year. I liked the one but probably wouldn’t buy it for myself.